BYOD

iPhones and personal laptops aren't just sneaking into office settings; they're going high (into space), low (underwater), and everywhere in between.

Fully 95% of 600 businesses surveyed by Cisco permit the use of employee-owned smartphones and tablets at the office and found productivity gains for workers who use their own hardware.

If you haven't developed a corporate Bring Your Own Device policy, or if the one you have is out of date, these tips will help you address device security, IT service, application use and other key components of an effective BYOD policy.

VMware wasn't just looking to save money when it launched a BYOD plan with the mandate that all of its U.S. employees use their personal mobile phones for work. It was taking a crash-course that would help shape its vision of post-PC era computing.

Fluctuating consumerization trends will force IT decision makers to evaluate their policies on a regular basis.

The trend towards bring-your-own computing is being driven by executives who not only insist on connecting their personal devices to the company network -- but refuse to hand over control of those devices to security managers despite exhortations that it's necessary to ensure data integrity. Faced with an explosion in mobile devices and already hurtling towards the cloud, what's a humble IT security specialist to do?

Despite years of experience showing cloud and mobile computing not only increase productivity, but make end users happier and reap otherwise-lost hours of work while employees are at home, many IT shops still won't support work using personal devices.

At Interop this week, Avaya will toss its hat into the rapidly expanding BYOD ring with new software for its policy manager that helps IT get a handle on mobile device management (MDM).

Columnist Rob Enderle says enterprises won't rush to roll out Windows 8. However, they may see the new OS in the form of Windows RT, the ARM version that combines the snazzy UI that users like with management and security controls that IT likes. In other words, Microsoft may finally make a foray into BYOD endeavors.

Controls, such as restricted network access, should be in place before allowing staff to bring their own devices if organisations want to avoid the risk of data leakage, says ACT government IT security senior manager, Peter Major.

In three months, Amazon's Kindle Fire went from zero to 54 percent share of the Android tablet market. Its cost and power have changed the choice from iPad vs. everything, to iPad, Kindle Fire, or long justifications of why another choice isn't an obviously bad one

Enterasys plans to display at Interop next month an appliance for mobile device management (MDM), spurred by the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phenomenon at the workplace.